News

NSF Grant Helps Professor Connect Evolutionary Dots along the Open Tree of Life

September 18, 2018

UC Merced life and environmental sciences Professor Emily Jane McTavish and a collaborator at the University of Kansas recently received a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to extend and improve the Open Tree of Life (OpenTree). OpenTree is a collaborative project...

Postdoc Earns Prestigious NIH Award to Study Health Disparities

September 17, 2018

Jaapna Dhillon had no idea that studying how almonds affect health would win her a huge advantage in securing a tenure-track position. But Dhillon just became UC Merced’s first postdoctoral researcher to receive a Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “The K99/...

Frustration and Compromise in Flocking Cells Produce New Migration Patterns

September 12, 2018

Even if some members of a goal-driven group don’t seem to work well with others — even if the whole group is extremely frustrated — the group can still compromise and find new ways to produce a successful outcome. This sounds like a political allegory, but it’s actually a novel finding about...

UC Climate-Change Research is One Focus of Global Summit, New Reports

September 11, 2018

California aims to lead the nation — and the globe — in climate change research, policy and action — in large part through climate-focused research conducted at University of California campuses and labs. Some of that research, including from UC Merced, will be on display this week as climate-...

$2.5M Grant Will Help Professor to Build a Powerful Molecular Imaging Scanner

September 5, 2018

Bioengineering Professor Changqing Li was recently awarded a four-year, $2.5 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help develop a focused X-ray luminescence tomography (FXLT) scanner that could accelerate cancer research. The scanner is a first-of-its kind molecular...

Understanding Why Designs Work — or Don’t — is Important

September 4, 2018

Just because a design works once doesn’t mean that the research and development is done. That’s why, Professor Sarah Kurtz argues in a new commentary in the prestigious journal Nature Energy , it’s important to do the quality assurance science that shows why products sometimes don’t work. “If...

$1.5M Grant Will Transform Chemistry Curriculum, Improve Access to STEM Careers

September 4, 2018

It’s a startling statistic: Nearly 30 percent of UC Merced students who start their college careers in the School of Natural Sciences (SNS) switch to majors outside the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields by their second year. But a new five-year, $1.5 million grant from the...

Founding Faculty Member Leading Campus in New Role

August 27, 2018

Cognitive science Professor Teenie Matlock, the McClatchy Chair in Communications , has been appointed interim vice provost for the faculty at UC Merced. This is her first high-level administrative position, but hardly her first leadership role. As a founding faculty member, Matlock has taken the...

New Year Begins With New Students, Spaces and Programs

August 22, 2018

UC Merced began its 14th academic year today, welcoming new and returning students into new buildings. Students moving in this year are the first to experience the newest residence halls, Glacier Point and Granite Pass, which opened this month as part of the Merced 2020 Project’s Phase 1. These...

Study: Snacking on Almonds a Healthy Alternative for Breakfast-Skipping Students

August 16, 2018

Independence: It’s what many students value most about the transition to college life. But the freedom to make decisions without interference from parents can lead to unhealthy eating habits. There’s the dreaded “Freshman 15” — the 15 pounds that students purportedly gain during their first year of...